Arsenal's intention to sign a central midfielder this summer is perhaps one of the worst kept secrets in football.
Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard have performed admirably in the Gunners' midfield this season but the need for more strength in depth is there for all to see. Even the signing of Jorginho from Chelsea in January could not prevent Manchester City taking a hold on the title race which, at one stage, seemed Arsenal's to lose.
Still, massive steps have been made throughout the 2022/23 campaign and sporting director Edu will be eager to improve Mikel Arteta's squad over the summer. That's where Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo come in.
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football.london understands West Ham captain Rice is a priority signing ahead of the summer transfer window whilst the club showed strong interest in Caicedo back in January but were unable to reach an agreement with Brighton & Hove Albion. It's now been claimed that Arteta wants to sign both players at the end of the current campaign, two signings that could cost a combined £170 million.
Of course, that is a huge amount of money but perhaps it is the sum needed to transform Arsenal from title challengers to Premier League champions. While that may be the case, Edu will no doubt be scouring the market for alternative options as anything can happen between now and September 1, the date the summer transfer window shuts.
Enter Youri Tielemans. The 26-year-old is expected to leave Leicester City this summer and will be available as a free agent due to the midfielder running down his contract.
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United are believed to be among the clubs interested in the Belgium international, as well as La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid. The Gunners' interest in Tielemans has been known for a while and the club was heavily linked with making a move for the Premier League star last summer.
It's been said that Tielemans is keen on a move to the Emirates Stadium, however, football.london reported in the summer, before the transfer window closed, that Arsenal were prepared to wait for Tielemans’ current contract to expire in order to get their man for nothing. Now, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, it appears the midfielder has "multiple proposals" on the table.
"Youri Tielemans will leave Leicester as free agent, no doubts since last summer; understand has not agreed terms with any club yet," Romano said. "There are multiple proposals on the table but Youri is focused on final games then he will assess his options and decide next club."
With the futures of Granit Xhaka and Albert Sambi Lokonga unclear, signing Tielemans for nothing could be a smart bit of business. The central midfielder has played 35 times for Leicester City this season, scoring four goals and assisting a further one.
While not prolific on the goalscoring front, Tielemans would bring much needed Premier League experience to a young Arsenal side and offer strength in depth which is perhaps not currently on offer. Speaking last September about his future, the former Anderlecht and Monaco star said: "I'm not going to speak too much about my contract situation at the moment. My family is very happy there, and that's important.
"I didn't leave in the summer as I always said the project had to be the right one. Just because things are getting worse now at Leicester doesn't mean I should regret.
"Whether you are in your last contract year or not, it's also not the case that I talk to the club every day about my extension or not. That is work for my agent. In the end, I will decide. There was talk of different clubs, but I won't go into that."
It remains to be seen where Tielemans' future lies. But the midfielder could be a solid signing for Arsenal in the summer transfer window, either instead or alongside Rice and Caicedo.
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